Crisis-hit turkey processor Bernard Matthews is to give its product range a comprehensive makeover.

New products, reformulation, fresh packaging and front-of-pack signpost labelling are at the heart of the brand refresh initiative, which is designed to bring the Bernard Matthews range up-to-date with trends in healthy eating.

The relaunch will be backed by a £7m campaign featuring TV and press ads.

PR activity will be geared towards positioning turkey as a "superfood" that is low in fat but high in protein and beneficial minerals. The company will later this year strengthen the association of its products with Christmas. New SKUs are being added to some lines, including chilled versions of Golden Drummers and a Honey Roast version of Wafer Thin Turkey Ham.

There is a new sub-brand in the freezer: Just Turkey topped breast fillets.

Bernard Matthews is also considering launching organic products.

Consistent packaging designs are being introduced across all products in an attempt to improve brand architecture and increase shelf stand-out, with a greater emphasis on food in the images on-pack.

Packaging will now feature front-of-pack nutrition labelling that combines the rival GDA and traffic-light systems. A flash will highlight the fact that products contain no artificial ingredients, while salt and fat levels have been cut in many recipes.

The relaunch was planned before the avian flu outbreak at Bernard Matthews' farm in Holton, Suffolk, last month.

It was originally part of a strategy conceived in the wake of the Turkey Twizzler debacle in 2005. Jamie Oliver famously rubbished the now-notorious Twizzlers

on national TV.

"What happened with Jamie was a kick up the backside for us," said Bernard Matthews marketing director Matthew Pullen.

"In the past three or four years we haven't kept abreast of the changes that consumers want - lower-fat, lower-salt, cleaner recipes."

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